In Shadow
by QueenJaqueline
Summary: For months she lay dormant, her only ability was to see what Midna saw, feel what she felt. That was how she grew to feel such adoration for the hero of Hyrule. That was how she came to love Link. zelda/link
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: Nightmare

The sky was a deep and menacing grey and within its deep belly it erupted a roar that seemed to shake the foundations of the earth. Tears of rain shed tumultuously as if to drown the sorrows the scarred land had faced. The harsh storm seemed to seep into the great stonewalls of the chateau, bringing the chill and dampness into the ever corridor of its holdings. She shivered slightly, but did not pull her cloak tighter to save herself from the biting cold of the late fall. A low sigh escaped her lips as she viewed her war torn lands. It had only been a month since peace had been brought to the lands of Hyrule, though the land was still tainted by the memory of Twilight, keeping the people numb with fear of the shadows.

Restoration was slow, and moral was low as the winter set in. The crops meant for harvest had been scorched by beasts roaming Hyrule's fields. What had been spared was hardly enough to feed a nation. The palace's reserve had been depleted by Zant and his monsters, they had raided the castle in the lost time that had been eclipsed by Twilight.

Crime had risen exponentially as food was scarce, and it was not uncommon in Castle Town to find the body of an unfortunate soul who was trespassed by a robber needing a spare rupee. All of the armed forces were busy trying to establish the peace while battling the monsters in their mind, the residue of their time in shadow.

Order needed to be reestablished, and she had to be the one to bring it. She had never been the intended ruler; she was just a princess after all. She was just an attachment to the royal family, a diplomatic tool used to unite kingdoms through matrimony. She was not born to rule; she was born to be a figurehead. Her father was a noble king, he was beloved and revered in his land, and his son was a beacon of light that established a firm surety that there would be prosperity for another generation. And the beautiful princess, how the people adored her. But she was not their ruler. She was their celebrity.

She exhaled deeply; her warm breath fogged the rain-blurred pain of window. She was not meant for this. As much as she loved her country, she could not save them. She was just a puppet.

Bitterly she began to weep, angry with herself for being so full of self-pity while her nation starved. She silently cursed the evil that had enveloped her land and had taken everything from her. She was alone.

When they attacked there had been no warning, it was a sudden surge of darkness that swept the castle, a thick, vile fog that strangled her lungs like smoke, and then he came. His cloak billowed behind him, as he approached. The thick material of his sleeves brushed the ground before he raised his arms parallel to the floor. A group of soldiers raced towards him but were halted in mid step momentarily before being thrown violently by an invisible force and slammed forcefully against the marble floor. She watched them twitch and write under the invisible pressure that kept them pinned to the ground. The hooded figure then folded his long, thin fingers into tight fists. An audible crunch resonated in the air. The soldier's bodies then went limp.

The princess was then pushed behind another round of soldiers as they filed into formation. There was a steely, cruel chuckle that pierced through the darkness.

"Pathetic." He sneered; his voice was oddly high pitched and had an unnatural edge to it. He brought his hood back to reveal a crescent shaped tribal mask that gleamed in the dull light exposing the contours of the distorted features the mask held. Mechanically the mask's mouth slid open to expose half of his face. His pointed features were haunting, his long nose came to an acute point, and his lips were curved into a malicious grin.

"Your king is dead," he hissed, "surrender is your only chance of living." A pixilated vortex materialized in the center of the chamber. Smoke wisped and defused throughout the great space to reveal the body and severed head of her father, the king.

Her legs buckled and her stomach lurched. She would have fallen had her brother not clasped her arm and pulled her up.

"Sheik" she whimpered to her twin. His steely eyes bore down into hers; he kissed her forehead, then with a cry drew his sword and lunged at the murderous fiend.

A chill wafted through the air as more pixels shifted and formed throughout the room. Smoke clouded the air; through the thick haze a chorus of deafening screeching filled the air. The musky sweet sent of death filled her lungs leaving her choked for a moment, gagging on the foulness of the haze. The rolling fog had clouded sheik, but as it dissipated she saw her brother surrounded by three gruesome creatures.

They were menacing, large and black with odd tribal markings that banded their bodies. They were primitively slouched; their large backs ridged and slumped forward in a crouch. They had the most peculiar faces, they were flat, almost as if covered by masks, and long midnight tendrils streamed like thick tentacles in the air. Sheik quickly lunged at one with his shining sword, striking it through its middle. It let out a low gurgle, as it seemed to bend over backwards before falling to the ground. As fast as he had slain the first, he struck another, this time it was a blow to the head. As he darted for the last of the beasts, there was an ear-piercing screech that was emitted from it, and the two creatures that had been thought as dead were resurrected. Taken aback from the revival of his foe, Sheik missed his target as he lunged for the beast's throat. He hit the marble floor with a hard thud and slid several feet. Seeing the advantage, the flock darted towards him, their long limbs were awkward as they moved at such a rapid pace. They closed in on him before anyone could come to Sheik's aid.

Zelda was appalled at the horrific scene she beheld. She stood transfixed, her gloved hands clasped against her mouth in horror as she watched her brother be torn apart, limb from limb by these terrifying beasts. Sheik's cries of agony intermixed with the shrieks of the dark creatures and reverberated off the walls, almost magnifying their eerie tone. A chorus of soldiers raced towards the throng of beasts and began to attack them. Sheik's cry fell silent, and she knew she had just witnessed her twin's death. There was no describing the void that was torn up inside of her. All senses intensified at that moment. The world was in a crescendo, like a symphony containing a clamor of chords and chaos that grew louder and louder. Harmony had been lost and chaos unleashed. Her head was pounding as the chaos swelled, it was like a thunderous tremor had erupted, and as she began to believe her capacity to stay conscious was ending, all sense of feeling was muted. Perception was slowed, as she perceived the occurring events.

She saw the soldiers thrust their swords into the beast's flesh in attempt to wound them mortally. As the steel sliced threw its torso, the creature would erupt in a horrific scream, reviving a fallen brother who would then devour a soldier. They were fighting an impossible battle against what seemed hell itself, and they were losing at a startling rate. The darkness swelled as more monsters were commanded by the cloaked man to appear. Vortexes swirled and the thick gaseous fog returned, obstructing the view of the ongoing combat. There was wretched screaming from the men, they cried out like frightened children as the evil forces devoured them. The fog slowly abated after the screams had fallen silent, and the carnage was displayed for the princess to see. Zelda saw her brother torn among the bodies of her personal guard. Her father had been slaughtered, the kingdom dismantled, all by this nameless evil.

"Surrender to the Twilight, Princess," He snarled, "or succumb to my creatures of darkness."

Zelda quivered, as she stood alone. Her ornamental sword was drawn, its glimmer seemed lost and its authoritative power belittled at the confrontation of such ferocity. She let it slip from her fingers. As it fell, it was as if she could see everything in clarity up until that moment. In her minds eye she rediscovered her life and was not afraid. Through her surrender she felt a slight glimmer of hope shine down from Nayru and her blessed wisdom. If she managed to survive, perhaps there was a chance to usurp this earth quaking power. Perhaps the goddesses smiled upon a new hero to save Hyrule, as the legends always prophesied. Hope was all she had in that desperate moment.

It was hope that had led her to breathe her life into Midna after Zant had attempted to destroy her and Link that day at the spring. She wanted to die for the hope that this wolf man, this courageous hero called Link, would restore Hyrule. She expected to die as she replenished Midna's soul by draining her own, but by some higher power her soul was infused inside Midna's frame, and their minds were linked. She was like a shadow inside an unfamiliar host. She could sense that Midna, too, was frustrated with her impish frame, and that it was alien to her. Zelda tried to reach out to her with her mind, to communicate some sort of message of the current condition, but was isolated. Claustrophobia suddenly racked her senses as she realized she was trapped as a silent observer inside of Midna's mind. She had no will, no voice, she just was. For months she lay dormant, her only ability was to see what Midna saw, feel what she felt. That was how she grew to feel such adoration for the hero of Hyrule. That was how she came to love Link.

***

Chapter two is on its way, if it is wanted, that is…

This plot has been a brainchild of mine since the summer, its just been floating around until I could put it on paper. I wasn't certain if I wanted to have an epic length story, or if I wanted it to be a short story. To be honest I still don't know, but from the direction chapter two seems to be taking, it may be a very, very long progressing fict…

Depending on response of course! Please let me know what you think!

Jaqueline


	2. Chapter 2

There was more than one moment that Zelda had been prepared to die following the coup of Hyrule. As prisoner she had experienced horrors she never dreamed of, but none of them were as terrifying as what she glimpsed at through Midna's consciousness. The most painful experience, however, was her experience as Ganon's puppet. It was the single most excruciating moment she had ever experienced as she endured Ganon's poisonous consciousness as it enveloped her body and seeped inside of her. His malice controlled her, guided her small frame to battle her hero. In that moment she feared she would kill all hope Hyrule had, all hope and longing her own heart held, and she had no power to change the course of fate. It seemed that it would either be her death or his, and neither was she quite willing to accept. Zelda knew that it had to be her, and felt her heart droop in sorrow, as she knew it had to be the one she adored that would be the one to silence her. As she prepared to feel her death consume her, the alien conscious of Ganon left her body, and she fell to the ground into unconsciousness.

She wondered what it would have been like if Ganon had let her die. He had to leave her body; as his soul's host her death would be critical and bind his soul with death as well. He was not willing to die so easily. Had she died, she imagined that Link would have been elected the crown, and he would be here in her stead guiding Hyrule away from the dark times. To her dismay, she felt he would have done a better job than she. He had already done so much.

Zelda had imagined that he would stay with her, but he had not. He went back to Ordon as quickly as he had appeared. It wasn't as if he had any real tie to Hylian politics, he was a simple farm boy who happened to save the world. It was his courage and skill that prevailed in battle, not his diplomacy, which was what the nation's soul so desperately, clung to. She felt a bit of comfort that she could provide that, but he ultimately presented something she could not. Link brought hope and morale, something that Hyrule was in dire need for.

And it was because of Hyrule's need for him that she requested his presence in the capital, not because of her own longing to be close to him again, to smell the musk of the forest in his sun bleached hair…

Her reasons were completely for the good of the country. It was improper to think otherwise.

She pressed her forehead against the chilled windowpane to direct her thoughts away from her longing for the forest boy. He was coming as she requested, and would be there at any time. She wondered if he would be delayed due to the storm, if he had found refuge somewhere or if he rode head on towards his destination as he always had in the time of twilight. She knew this matter was entirely different; it was not urgent that he arrived promptly, and she knew that he was aware that he was able to take his time. But her heart hoped he would rush to see her, the way she knew he would rush to see Midna…

Oh Midna…

Zelda envied this shadow girl, because she saw Link fall in love with her. She presumed he was dying inside the way she was, but because he did not have Midna's familiar presence. It did not matter that Zelda, too, had experienced their trials, she had been a silent participator, after all.

In all reality, she knew there could be a way to recreate the bridge towards the kingdom of twilight, things like that did not just lay dormant, and it was only a matter of time before worlds merged again for some purpose, whether it be malicious or in proper goodness. That was beside the point, the Twilight Realm was not something to take lightly, it was not just a quick travel to Termina to go to the beach for holiday; it was the inferno. There was a reason they were sealed away, and though she knew how Link would fight to discover a way to retrieve Midna, she knew it was not in Hyrule's best interest, especially after the dark magic that had seized Hyrule in the previous months. It would take magic beyond her power to conger even if she wanted to. Splitting a fracture between one world and another was nearly inconceivable had she not witnessed it, and as the conduit mirror had shattered, a new passage would have to be forged.

Zelda pushed these thoughts from her mind; suppressing the anxiety it brought her. It was doing her no good to sit and wait for Link to appear, especially in the extreme fierceness of the storm. Perhaps tomorrow he would arrive. He had another week to arrive; he would not be presented to the people until her coronation as queen. The thought of the ceremony that proceeded made her feel slightly sick. It had been delayed due to the urgent attention that needed to be given towards the food crisis, which still plagued her people. She was in negotiation with Termina on their export taxes, which in the recent had been unreasonably high. Until a compromise could be reached, her people starved. She was selfish for waiting her time on her desperation to see Link riding upon the horizon.

Accepting that he was not going to rush into her arms at any moment, Zelda let out a miserable sigh as she scanned the countryside before her. The Royal Family's Chateau was perched above Kakariko village into its lofty mountains. It was an impressive estate, but not nearly as immaculate as Hyrule Castle. Many generations prior, before the Goron's had ever resented the other races of Hyrule, the chieftain and the king had been sworn "brothers". This action led to a time of great peace between the Hylians and the rock-dwellers. As a gift, the Goron Chief had the Chateau constructed for the Royal Family as a safe haven in troubled times, and a lovely vacation home for times of peace. Zelda had spent time there on several occasions, but always when her father wanted a Holiday, he said the crisp mountain air invigorated his soul.

It was true; it was a magnificent feeling to be above the world. When she was small she would reach up to the sky from her balcony and felt she could almost touch the stars. She had never experienced the Chateau in time of war. It was not as if anything physical had changed about the place, but there was no leisure in it, it was almost like a prison to her. This was not=, but because her home had been ransacked and destroyed by monsters. It stood as blight to her, a stinging reminder of reality and how cold it was to her.

The night was pitch, a thick curtain of rain fell angrily without any hesitation or thought of abating. She tore herself away from the window and retreated to her bedroom. Zelda's room was drafty; the fire had long since died out and the only light emitted from the lonely embers in the hearth. It was later into the night than she had realized and her exhaustion began to take over. She peeled back the thick velvet curtains of her bed and crawled into the inviting covers.

She dreamed of him that night, as she had often since they had parted. They were next to Ordon's spring, fairies danced about the water causing light ripples to course through the water. Zelda had never physically been to Ordon, but she had experienced its splendor through Midna's senses. The earthy aroma of fresh cut hay and the spice of pine clung to the air. Inhaling deeply, Zelda took in all these intoxicating fragrances, as well as the tantalizing musk that she knew was Link.

He was holding her, his face was buried in her hair and she could feel his lips brush against her neck. His touch set her on fire, she felt euphoria course through her body. She was in complete bliss until he mumbled, "Midna…" lovingly into her ear.

***

Thank you to all of you who reviewed! I enjoy hearing your feedback and getting a feel on if I'm doing well and what I need to improve on. I know how I'm going to pace things, and know where the plot is going, and I'm pretty sure its going to be ten or more chapters as long as you all are interested!

Jaqueline


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